20-OCT-2013
Sunday Driver
I decided to take a drive to the coast, which was foggy. Go figure. Every morning has been staring off with fog before the sun burns it off. Today at the coast it was foggy pretty much the entire time I was there. It was just a matter of degree. When I was at Cape Foulweather I was in full sun with a solid layer of fog below me. It looked like I was on an airplane flying over the clouds.
I just stopped at any wayside that caught my fancy. The only two I didn’t go to were the two that I was actually planning to see. The parking lot for Fogarty Creek is isolated and there was not a car there. Signs warn that it’s not safe to leave your valuables in your car. Since today was a travel day for me, all of my stuff was in the car. There was a guy who looked a bit sketchy hanging around, so I left.
The other place I planned to visit was Cape Kiwanda, but it was absolutely packed.
The rest of my day was spent driving to Portland. I took the scenic route. Oh and I finally found excellent fall color – along Salem city streets. Maybe I should hike in the cities and take fall foliage pictures. Speaking of which, I only shot three frames today.
Which of the following did I not see today?
A) Quail
B) The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile
C) Bald Eagles
D) Bigfoot
E) Rifle toting men walking along the side of a state highway
19-OCT-2013
Cascadia
We’ve driven by Cascadia State Park numerous times. Actually we’ve been there since it’s a good rest stop along that highway. I remember thinking it was a nice place and wishing that we had more time. There’s even a trail to a waterfall. Lower Soda Falls doesn’t have the form that I prefer, but you know how much my travels tend to revolve around waterfalls. So this was an opportunity to actually explore the park.
The Lower Soda Falls Trail reminds me a bit of being at Silver Falls State Park. It’s not as wide, and on a fall weekend it sure didn’t have as many visitors. But the narrow canyon, the vegetation, and the creek are quite similar. Well maybe the creek isn’t. What I’m trying to convey is that the area felt much the same to me. After enjoying that short hike I spent time down by the Santiam River. There were a few spots that provided me with some good photographic opportunities.
I went to Yukwah campground, which is closed for the season. I wanted to check out the accessible nature trail to see what sort of river views it has. As I’ve mentioned before, I really like accessible trails and viewpoints. Not everyone is able bodied. I imagine those that aren’t must find it such a treat to be able to get out and experience nature. At Yukwah (and at a couple of pullouts to the west) there are even platforms over the river with low railings so that the disabled can fish.
I planned to hike at House Rock. I parked near the gate and walked downhill on the access road. When I reached the campground area, I read a sign which stated that a trail bridge is out. There are a couple of other places I could access the Santiam Wagon Road, but I decided to make it a short day and leave that trail for another trip.
18-OCT-2013
Limited entry
Some years ago I saw and downloaded a picture of Pamelia Lake. The picture was not especially noteworthy. It wasn’t a great composition or a great scene. It was just a point and shoot snapshot. But what I loved is that it is a picture of an Oregon forest, and that’s enough for me. I look at it often.
I didn’t even know why Pamelia Lake is an impacted area. I didn’t know what sets it apart from other lakes which aren’t as heavily visited. My whole reason for wanting to visit is because of that picture. I could look at it and imagine being in a generic Pacific Northwest forest with no particular destination.
Since the federal shutdown is finally over I was able to go online and buy a permit when I got back to my hotel yesterday afternoon.
I’m sorry to say that I the picture I’ve been talking about was not representative of what I experienced today. I thought the trail was exceptional. I suspect that for most people the trail is just where you have to travel to get to the lake. For me the lake was just an afterthought. For one thing I finally saw some decent fall vine maple near the beginning. But it was what came later that I loved. I was hiking and thinking that the trail reminded me of the Ramona Falls hike. Then I realized why. The normal forest understory I’m used to is full of ferns, Oregon grape, salal, etc. What I was seeing here was lots of moss and rhododendrons, which is what I love about Ramona Falls. However, during this hike the creek is much more energetic. The creek is off to the side of the trail and accessible with short bushwhacks. Even the damage from the 2006 mudflow was less than I expected.
The forest changes a little upon reaching the lake, and again after passing the inlet. That area was extremely wet. I couldn’t walk a minute without encountering several creeklets crossing the trail. The floor below the trail is pretty flat and the water braids all through the area. I hadn’t planned to continue the hike to Hunts Cove, but I was sorely tempted to continue past my turn around point. I made a miscalculation based on how long it took me to drive to the trailhead and how long I had been hiking. I spent a lot of time taking pictures and a lot of time soaking in the surroundings on the hike in. I figured that the hike out would be quicker, but I ended up returning a whole lot faster than I anticipated. So, as it turned out, I could have hiked farther. But it’s still a good idea to err on the side of caution.
So after all that talking about the things I loved the most about the trail, I decided that instead of uploading any of my better pictures I was just going to upload a picture of a generic forest. This was shot at the beginning of the trail before the vegetation changes to what I was talking about earlier. This is my version of a simple, quick snapshot while hiking. Who knows, maybe someone will download this and decide to take a hike.
17-OCT-2013
A Little North
I started off the day with a few minor locations before I went to Three Pools. I’m sure I’ve previously mentioned how surreal it is to be on an unpaved forest road and start to see no parking signs. Then the day use area is a large paved parking lot with speed bumps and striped spaces. But I completely understand why that is. I imagine that on summer days the place must just be a madhouse. Today, however, I was the only person partaking in the magnificent beauty of the area. That differs from our previous visit when there were a few people leaving just as we arrived. Either I have great luck in finding solitude or I just visit during at the right time of the year. Unlike my previous visit, today wasn’t raining, so other people just have no excuse.
I then finished the part of the North Fork Santiam Trail that I missed yesterday. I thought I was only going to be able to hike a short portion, but the signs indicating that the bridge over Cedar Creek is out are outdated. There’s a nice, new bridge there. So I was very happy that I was able to complete the hike. This section is pretty easy. There are lots of views of the turquoise water through the trees. Mostly you have to be content with obstructed views because there aren’t many places where it’s possible to bushwhack down to the river on social paths. But even gazing at the marvelous river through the trees is an outstanding way to spend a day.
I spent the rest of the afternoon driving down Forest Road 2207 and stopping at each pullout. I remember seeing lots of pullouts when we visited Sullivan Creek Falls. So today I had plenty of time to walk down go down to splendidly scenic Cedar Creek.
16-OCT-2013
The sunrise filled me with joy
I only hiked part of the Little North Santiam trail. There were a few social trails down to the water in the first stretch. Then I started climbing and climbing. It was steep too. I’m happy to say that I managed to get up to the top and back down. Then when I was on a flat section I felt some pain in one of my knees. I thought about it and decided that it would be a good decision to turn around. I felt that if the pain fully set in it would probably take me until midnight to climb back up and down that hill and get back to my car.
So now I had the luxury of time. I was able to take it slow(er), and I stopped plenty of times to just take in the scenery. I spent my time taking in everything you can imagine seeing in the forest. I even stopped and enjoyed the sunlight streaking through the canopy. I had plenty of time to think about a wide range of subjects. One was a poem by Terry Hertzler. The Night of the day that Davy Maxwell Died. “The sunrise filed me with joy. How strange. The sun.”
Oh and that picture taking thing that I seem to like to do – well let’s just say that unlike yesterday I had an embarrassment of riches. I only got shots in a few places during the first portion of the hike, but I had a near impossible time trying to decide which to upload today. I usually flip through them and note the files that I might wish to choose. Tonight I pretty much just used the dart board approach. Okay so maybe there weren’t really that many good shots. But after yesterday’s strikeout it seemed like quite a bounty.
15-OCT-2013
Over the Rivers and Through the Woods
When I first started planning this trip one of the first items on my list was the Metolius River. I later moved that entry into my options list. It’s just too far away. Although it’s pretty, I really prefer the lush, western forests. I’ll probably be too late for the fall color. I had excuses galore. Well after yesterday, I really needed an easy hike. So I got in the car and drove three hours (enhanced by the two roadwork delays!).
I didn’t remember the distance from the Canyon Creek gate to the trailhead so this time I parked at the Wizard Falls STATE fish hatchery. The good ol’ Oregon state government is not shut down.
I took it very slow and careful and was able to complete the hike. Of course had my body been in tip top shape, and perhaps the drive been a bit shorter, there are other trails on both sides of the river that could have been added. But this is about getting to spend time outdoors instead of recuperating in the hotel room. I’ll even skip my complaints about all of this dreadful sunshine. But stay tuned tomorrow when I’ll be back to my usual whining.
After my hike I strolled around the hatchery and fed some fish in the settling pond.
My return trip was slightly shorter. Well it was the same route; it just took me a little less time to get back. Of course I already did know that it’s not exactly the fastest, easiest state highway. I’ve been on it before. I’ve never spent any time exploring any places along the route though, so I have a few places that I plan to visit later this week. I have no idea what they’ll actually be like. Not to mention that they’re actually closed due to the federal shutdown as well as at least one being closed for the season. I just wanted to be able to actually get out of the car to take a look around since the area is pretty (when you can spare a second to glance away from the road, which isn’t often). So I guess I just spent more time writing about what I haven’t yet done than I did writing about what I did today. Maybe that’s because it was more of a day just spent outdoors than a day getting any good pictures. Or maybe it’s because sometimes I just don’t have a whole lot to say.
14-OCT-2013
Good News Bad News
Or is that good news good news? The good news is that from what I can tell the federal shutdown won’t be having a huge effect on my trip. I know that there’s at least one place I definitely won’t be able to visit. Whether other places will be open to hikers remains to be seen, but I have high hopes. So the good news is that I didn’t cancel my trip. The bad news is that the ten day forecast is almost entirely sunny! I imagine that the majority of people up there consider that good news. If you know me, that’s just about the worst news I can imagine. At this time of year I was expecting just a few sunny days with the majority of my hikes under overcast skies. This doesn’t bode well for my kind of photos I was planning on shooting. I may end up spending much more time just hiking and enjoying the sights than actually shooting them. I can’t really imagine anyone feeling very sorry for me. Okay, so I guess I better start feeling sorry for myself. I did have one problem today. I was doing just fine until the last mile when my knee started hurting. I must have looked very strange walking like a pirate with a peg leg. It hurt so bad to lift my left leg that I was pivoting to the right in order to reduce the amount my left knee had to bend. So naturally my right hip is now killing me as well. I guess I just wasn’t cut out to be a pirate.
